Night of the Wendigo
by Increasing Paranoia
Summary: Hannah and Beth had taken off. Sam had managed to wake up Chris and Josh and the friends set off into the woods. If only they had known what waited for them. *cannon divergent*
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: I promise to update some older fics in a bit but I started this one a while ago. Hope you like it!_

* * *

 _Hannah and Beth were gone._ That was the only thought that managed to penetrate his alcohol induced stupor for the first few minutes. He was distantly aware of the fact that there was screaming going on. Sam was shouting at Mike, Emily and Jess, somehow towering over the three of them despite the fact that she was the shortest. Mike looked ashamed while Emily clearly remained indignant though it was clear that she was nervous. Jess was chewing on her nails while Ashley was crying and Matt was running his hands through his hair – a tell that he was nervous and/or upset about something. And Hannah and Beth were gone.

As he came back to sobriety his brain was able to hang on to more information. There had been a prank, Hannah had been embarrassed and she had taken off into the snow storm with Beth following on her heels. Josh had no shame in the fact that he had punched Mike and it sounded like it had hurt despite the fact that his coordination was still shit. Chris had seen the punch coming but Chris was a good bro and he let him land the punch before stepping in, reigning Josh back before things got further out of control. Hannah and Beth were still missing – who knows how long they had been out there in the snow. Sam isn't sure how long it had taken her to shake Josh and Chris out of their drunken stupor so they're not sure how much time they lost. Josh manages to layer himself up despite his clumsy fingers and it isn't long before they're trekking out into the snow with flashlights in their hands. Mike, Emily and Jess remain at the lodge. They had protested, of course – a guilty conscience is a terrible burden – but the protests had died out when Josh had all but snarled at them. He doubts they'd be much help getting his sisters back. One look at them and Hannah would flee deeper into the woods and Beth, well, she'd give Emily and Jess bruises to match Mike's. He desperately hopes his sisters are alright.

"What the _fuck_ were you thinking?" he demands as they pile outside. Ashley immediately runs into a monologue of 'sorry' while Matt keeps insisting that 'it was just a joke.' "Does it look like anybody's laughing?" he demands.

"Josh, we're _sorry._ " Ashley tells him quietly. "We weren't thinking. It was stupid and…" she trailed off.

"And beneath you," Chris finished. The cold air had done a tremendous amount in sobering him up and he was giving both Ashley and Matt a disapproving look. "This shit is normal from the terrible trio back there," he continued, gesturing back to the lodge. "But I would have expected better from the two of you." Matt's gaze cuts away from the taller man and Ashley looked like somebody had just kicked a puppy in front of her. The weight of the sentence hung in the air. Josh and Sam's silence clearly indicating that they agreed with the statement.

"Come on, let's go." Josh muttered.

"Hang on, we'll cover more ground if we split up." Sam stated, motioning to where the tracks split up.

"Step one in how to attract a serial killer," Chris joked, though he shivered. "I guess Sammy's right, though. More groups means we'll cover more distance and find the twins faster."

"Ashley, Matt and I will head this way," Sam decided, motioning with her flashlight to the right fork. "You guys follow the left fork. Give a shout if you find them."

"What do we do if we find a murderer?" Josh asked. "Sing a song?" Sam rolled her eyes before dragging Ashley and Matt after her. Chris shoved his hands in his pockets and headed down the left fork.

"Come on, man. Let's find your sisters and then get out of this cold. Hannah's probably freezing – Sam said she ran out without her jacket."

"Reasoning is not Hannah's strong suit." Josh agreed as he trailed after his friend. "The three idiots are getting kicked off the mountain tomorrow. I can't believe they thought this would be a funny prank." He vented. Chris slapped his friend across the back.

"I know. I wouldn't blame you for kicking Ashley and Matt out with them," Chris added. Josh gave the man a surprised look.

"Cochise, you'd be okay with me kicking your girlfriend out of the lodge?"

"Bro, you _know_ she's not my girlfriend." Chris griped, rubbing the back of his neck. "In all honesty I don't know what my feelings for her are but knowing that she was in on this prank…" he trailed off and shook his head. "I don't know, man." He sighed. "Look, can we save the heavy discussion for when we're _not_ freezing our asses off?" Josh opened his mouth to respond but whatever he was going to say was cut off as a gush of fire flashed ahead of the two men. The screaming started shortly after and Josh pushed past his friend, racing towards the noise.

"Beth! Hannah!"

"Shit!" Chris muttered as he took off after his friend. The wet snow sucked his shoes down into the soft ground and he grunted as he fell, body colliding with the forest floor. Chris scrambled back to his feet and hightailed it after his friend. "Josh, wait up!" he called, but Josh was already way ahead of him. Nevertheless, Chris followed his tracks, clambering up the steep incline. Pausing to catch his breath at the top, he glanced up and his blood instantly froze in his veins. A short distance above him, he could make out two figures hanging off a ledge of the mountain. "Oh fuck!" he shouted, taking off. He wasn't sure how long the girls could hang on and it would take both him and Josh to pull them up.

"Hang on!" Josh shouted. "We're coming!" he added, as he sprinted up the path. Whatever his sisters said in response was lost to the wind. Another blast of flame erupted, closer to their location and the twins' screams carried.

"What the fuck is that?!" Chris asked, his longer legs allowing him to catch up to his friend.

"Worry about it later! We've got to get Hannah and Beth!" Josh answered. The only noise for the next several minutes was their labored breathing as they finished their climb to the ledge. Both men skidded to the ledge on their knees. "Beth!" Josh shouted, reaching down and grasping his sister's hand.

"JOSH! Help, please! I'm slipping!" she gasped.

"I've got you!" he told her. "Chris, get Hannah!" he ordered.

"On it!" Chris told him. He reached down, grasping the back of Hannah's coat and hefting her up. "Come on, Hannah, work with me here," he muttered. The longer-haired twin dug her fingers into Chris' arm, making the man wince. Her feet scrambled along the rock as she tried her best to help the man get her to safety.

"Oh shit, oh shit," she murmured as she was pulled over the ledge to safety.

"Hannah!" Beth cried, pulling her twin into a tight hug. "Oh my god, are you alright?!" she asked.

"I…I think so. Thanks." She muttered, offering Chris and Josh a wan smile. Another flash of fire had the group huddling back against the ledge.

"What the hell is that?!" Chris demanded for the second time.

"Whatever it is, it's heading this way. Come on," Josh ordered, pulling his sisters to their feet. "I don't want to be here when it catches up. Let's get Hannah and Beth back to the lodge."

"What about Sammy and the others?" Chris asked as he followed his friends.

"We'll look for them on the way back. If we don't find them, we drop the girls and go back out," Josh told him.

"How many people are out here?" Beth asked.

"Me and Josh, Sammy, Matt and Ashley. Emily, Jess and Mike were…kindly invited to remain at the lodge," Chris informed her, grimacing at the memory of _why_ they were all out here freezing their asses off. Hannah shivered, pulling her borrowed coat tighter around her.

"Don't worry, Han. Trust me, you _won't_ be seeing them tonight." Beth promised, shivering herself. Chris noted the movement and unzipped his top coat, draping it across her shoulders. "Thanks," she told him, snuggling into the warmth. As they got closer to the lodge, they could hear Sam calling out to them.

"Yeah, Sam, we're here!" Josh called back.

"Sammy!" Chris shouted as he waived a hand over his head. The small blonde was wandering in front of the lodge with her hands cupped around her mouth as she shouted for Chris, Josh and the twins. Ashley and Matt were behind her, the light of their cellphones flashing through the night.

"Oh, thank God!" she gasped as she jogged to meet them. "I'm so glad you're alright!" She added as she threw her arms around both females.

"Thanks, Sammy," Hannah murmured. Sam gave her a soft smile and another hug before turning to Beth.

"We found your cell," she told her, handing it over.

"Thanks," Beth told her, taking the phone from Sam and shoving it into the pocket of Chris' jacket. Her gaze traveled over Sam's shoulder and locked onto Ashley and Matt. She frowned at the two as Matt stepped forward.

"Hannah, we deleted the video," Matt told her as he approached.

"We're so sorry," Ashley added, trailing behind the jock. "It was stupid and we should have known better."

"Well, it's nice to see you behaving like decent human beings again," Beth told them as she crossed her arms.

"Yes, now everything's better," Josh added.

"No, it's not! But it's a start." Matt told him. "Ashley and I let ourselves get pressured into something because we wanted to fit in when we should have listened to Sam."

"But we didn't. And Sam didn't find you before you read the note. This whole thing was just… I'm sorry." Ashley told the longer-haired twin.

"Matt's right," Hannah told her. "It's not okay. But an apology is a good place to start," she added with a small smile.

"Just don't do it again." Beth added, glaring at the two.

"Trust me, we won't. It was terrifying trying to find you two. These woods are dangerous in daylight but they're even worse at night. I'm glad Josh and Chris were able to find you before anything happened," Matt told her.

"Oh, something happened." Josh told him, but was cut off before he could finish.

"You're back!" Beth growled as Hannah visibly curled in on herself. Jess continued approaching, oblivious, while Emily and Mike trailed after her.

"Didn't I tell the three of you to stay in the lodge?" Josh demanded.

"We were worried when you didn't come back," Mike told him. His eyes quickly moved across the group and his posture relaxed when he caught sight of the twins. "Glad you guys are alright," he told them.

"No thanks to you," Beth told his icily.

"We're not the one who ran out into a snowstorm over a prank," Emily interjected.

"What prank, Em?" Beth demanded, stepping closer to the other female. "Do you see anybody laughing?"

"So it got a little out of hand," Emily confessed. "It wouldn't have happened if your sister would stop making eyes at my boyfriend."

"She has a crush! But when have you known Hannah to ever take something from _anybody_? Maybe if you weren't so insecure, or if your boyfriend wasn't such a player, you wouldn't be worried about losing him." Beth told her.

"ENOUGH!" Josh shouted, interrupting the fighting and grabbing everyone's attention. "This was supposed to be a party where everyone had a good time. Instead, you dimwits decide to play a cruel prank – and no, it wasn't funny," he stated, cutting off the protests before they started. "Beth's right – no one's laughing and Beth and Hannah nearly died. Now, I don't care what your excuses are, I want the three of you off the mountain tomorrow. Whether Hannah and Beth decide to forgive you is their decision but I'm done with you."

"Dude, we're _sorry,_ " Mike told him as Emily and Jess gaped at the eldest Washington. Josh snorted.

"Yeah, I bet you are. I'd be sorry, too, if I almost caused two deaths in one night. Y'know for as smart as you and Emily are supposed to be, you were both extraordinarily stupid tonight. How long do you think Beth could have held on to that root while supporting herself and Hannah?"

"What?" Mike asked, confused.

"Hannah and I wound up at the overlook cliff," Beth told him as she crossed her arms in front of her. "We saw something moving in the woods and when we went to get away from it, we slipped. The only reason we aren't at the bottom of a ditch is because I managed to grab a root that was protruding from the mountain. If Josh and Chris hadn't gotten there, Hannah and I would be dead. But great joke guys," she added sarcastically, uncrossing her arms to give a slow clap. " _So_ funny."

"Oh, shit." Jess gasped. "We didn't… Hannah, I am so sorry," she apologized but Hannah wouldn't look at her.

"I'm going inside," she told her siblings before heading toward the lodge. It didn't escape anyone's attention that she gave Jess, Emily and Mike a wide berth.

"Beth, you wanna – " Josh started but Beth nodded and took after her twin before he could finish. When they were out of ear shot he turned back to the group. "I'm serious," he told the trio. "I want you nowhere near Hannah OR Beth tonight and you're gone first thing tomorrow. And the only reason you two," Josh continued, turning to face Ashley and Matt, "aren't going with them is because one, it wasn't your idea, and two, Hannah is willing to give you another shot. Don't blow it." Whatever might have been said was drowned as another spurt of fire erupted further up the mountain.

"FUCK!" Chris gasped. "I almost forgot about that."

"We saw it earlier, too." Sam told them. "Should we…check it out?" she asked.

"Oh, hell no." Emily stated. "I'm going back to the lodge. Mike, come on," she ordered. Mike hesitated. "Mike! Come ON!"

"I think I should go with them," he told her. "I'll be back shortly!" He added, cutting off her protests. Emily huffed but finally muttered a 'whatever' and headed back without him. Jess trailed after her.

"I don't think I can do another round in the woods," Ashley confessed as she shifted her weight from foot-to-foot.

I'm going to go with them," Matt stated. "Ash, maybe you can hang with the twins?" he offered. Ashley gave a nod of her head and began the walk back to the lodge.

"Well, then," Josh stated as he looked at everyone. Their group was down to him, Chris, Matt and Sam. "Everyone have flashlights?" he asked. "Let's go."

~Review~


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Sorry for the delay guys. My sis forgot I sent this to her for review.

* * *

The light from their flashlights bobbed through the darkness as the group headed away from the lodge. The spurts of fire seemed to be coming from further up the mountain and that's where the group turned their steps.

"Are you sure you know where we're going? I'm not sure we should be doing this." Mike stated. He shivered, though Josh doubted it had anything to do with the weather.

"Then head back," Josh told him. "You can start packing instead," he continued blandly. Mike cursed under his breath but stayed with the group. The choice surprised the eldest Washington – the other man wasn't exactly brave and Josh figured he'd run given the first chance. His thoughts were interrupted as Sam nudged his arm.

"He wants to redeem himself," she whispered, seemingly knowing Josh's thoughts. Understanding dawned on the man – Mike was the type of person who liked to be liked. Of course, he would want to stick around and prove himself, if only to get back in Josh's good graces. The blonde grinned at him before dropping back, allowing Josh to lead the way with Chris while she kept an eye on Matt and Mike.

"Damn, I forgot how creepy this place is at night." Chris muttered. He rubbed his arms, trying to force circulation back into the limbs. Josh belatedly realized that Chris never got his coat back from Beth.

"You want to snuggle, Cochise?" Josh asked with a smirk. "Need me to keep you safe and warm?" he continued, fluttering his eyelashes at the taller man. The younger man laughed and lightly punched the older man's arm.

"You're an ass," Chris laughed.

"Bro!" Josh gasped, grasping his chest with his free hand and giving his friend a mock wounded look.

"Not to interrupt," Matt interposed. "But do either of you know where we're heading?" he asked. The smile dropped from Josh's face and Chris frowned at the sudden change in his friend.

"I think I remember my parents mentioning an old sanatorium at the top of the mountain," he told the jock. The news did not appear to ease the other man's nerves, but Matt nodded and continued walking.

"Your parents were worried about that weirdo," Chris stated thoughtfully. "The one who was obsessed with the twins?" he reminded the group. "Do you think he could be hiding out up there?" Josh considered the idea.

"It's always possible," he conceded. "But after the last time, the police started doing regular sweeps and haven't found anything – nothing to suggest he's even been up here lately."

"Speaking of the police, why don't we call them and let the professionals handle this?" Mike suggested. Josh scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"We're on a _mountain_ in the middle of a _snow storm_ ," he reminded them. "Even if we could get ahold of the police, they wouldn't be able to make it up here until tomorrow at the earliest." Josh paused, watching his friends' faces as the gravity of the situation sunk in. "For all intents and purposes…we're on our own."

Hannah startled as a soft tap came at her door. She stayed still and a soft tap came again, accompanied by Ashley's voice. She released the breath she hadn't known she was holding and opened the door. Ashley stood outside her room, awkwardly shuffling her feet and twisting her fingers together.

"I…" Ashley trailed off. "I'm sorry," she said again.

"I think you said that already," Hannah told her lightly. She gave the other girl a soft smile and stepped back, inviting her into her room. Ashley cautiously took it as an optimistic sign though she also realized it could be Hannah's way of ensuring that she didn't see Emily or Jess. She needn't have worried – Beth was making damn sure neither girl got near her sister. And she wasn't letting up on Josh's decree. "So…" Hannah stated, pulling Ashley back to the present. "What did you want to talk about?" she asked as she sat on her bed. She rested her back against the headboard and clutched a pillow in front of her. Ashley was reminded of a little kid and she finally understood why her brother and sister were so fiercely protective of her.

"I really did come to apologize again," she stated, taking a seat at the desk. "Do you…do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

"It..." Hannah began before trailing off with a shake of her head. Her lips pressed into a hard line and Ashley was momentarily seized by the fear that Hannah might cry. "It was a huge slap in the face to find out that five of the seven people I call friends all conspired to humiliate me," she finally said. Ashley winced at the tone. "I know I come off as more aloof than Josh or Beth," she continued, hugging her pillow more tightly to her body. "I don't do as well in groups as I do hanging out one-on-one but I thought I knew you all well enough. I thought you respected me more than that." Hannah paused and adjusted her glasses with a wry smile. "Clearly I was wrong."

"I'm sorry," Ashley whispered. It seemed she couldn't say it enough, although it was hard to speak around the sudden lump in her throat. She had never been particularly close to the longer-haired twin. As Hannah stated herself, she came off as aloof. Now, however, she could see the real person and she felt even more horrible about the prank. _It was never really a prank, though, was it?_

"I know. You don't need to keep repeating it." Hannah told her. "I know that the idea didn't come from you or Matt. You each had your own reasons for going along with it," she continued. "And clearly you both now regret it. But it doesn't make it sting any less," she confessed.

"I don't even remember why," Ashley confessed. "I'm sure it was something stupid, like impressing the rest of the group. Or being terrified that if I spoke up that Jess and Em would target me, instead," she sighed. "I can't undo what happened earlier, but I _promise_ the next time someone plans a cruel prank, Sam won't be the only one to protest." Hannah gave the other girl a small smile.

"Thanks."

Chris shivered as they continued trekking through the snow. They had long since left behind any clear path and the only thing that suggested they were going the right way was the fact that they were heading up the mountain. He paused to catch his breath, gritting his teeth against the flare of pain in his hamstrings. _God, I need to work out more_ , he thought. He snorted at the idea, knowing that everyone had thoughts like that when in a situation that required physical exertion and knowing damn well that nothing would ever come from the thought. As soon as this little adventure was over with, he'd be back with his nose glued to his cell phone in no time.

"Chris?" Josh asked. The other man was looking at him with an inquisitive expression and Chris realized that his friend must have heard him snort. Chris shot him a lazy grin.

"Want to get me a gym membership for Christmas?" he asked. Josh chuckled.

"Like you'd even use it," Josh shot back. "You want to get in shape, go join Sammy on her physical excursions."

"I HEARD MY NAME!" Sam shouted from further down the mountain. As the incline had become steeper, the group had begun hiking in a line. Sam was bringing up the rear, making sure that no one was left behind.

"CHRIS IS GOING TO START JOINING YOUR WORKOUTS!" Josh shouted back. Chris squawked indignantly, shoving the shorter man into a snow drift.

"JOSH IS A DIRTY LIAR! HE WANTS YOU TO TEACH HIM HOW TO MAKE YOUR SMOOTHIES!" Chris yelled. Josh swung his leg, sweeping Chris' feet out from underneath him. The taller man grunted as he landed in the snow. He grimaced as he felt the water seep into his clothes. "Bro!" Josh chuckled again but gave his friend a hand up.

"I'm so glad that both of you are taking an interest in your health," Sam stated as she caught up with them. She took in the site of them, both covered in snow and no doubt going to be freezing in the near future. "You're worse than children," she told them, hands on her hips and shaking her head at their antics.

"Sorry, mom," they both chorused, breaking out into laughter as they said the words in sync. Sam couldn't help but chuckle at them and even Matt and Mike were able to forget the seriousness of their situation. As the laughter died down and the sense of seriousness creeped back in the group stood in an awkward silence.

"We should probably get going," Josh told them as he turned and began heading back up the mountain. "We can't be too far from the building."

"Yeah," Mike agreed. "The sooner we get there, the sooner we can figure out what's going on." Still, he made no movement forward.

"Hey, the tower can't be that far," Matt pointed out. "I know you said that the police wouldn't be able to get here until the morning, but there should be a radio that we could use to contact the police. Shouldn't we at least give them a call so they know something's wrong?" he asked.

"Matt's got a point," Sam agreed. "I mean, I know time is of the essence but it would still be a good idea to give the police a call. That way if something happens, we at least know they're on the way." Chris nodded in agreement.

"Good idea," Josh agreed. "Who wants to go?" he asked.

"I will," Mike stated.

"I'll go with him," Sam stated.

"Matt, you heading to the tower or joining us at the hospital?" Josh asked. He could see the conflict in the younger man. Matt no doubt wanted to head to the tower but didn't want Josh or Chris to think he was a coward.

"Go to the tower," Chris told him. "The fewer people creeping around an abandoned hospital, the less risk for injury. More people going to the tower means a better chance that the call goes out," he reasoned with a shrug.

"Yeah," Matt agreed. "Yeah, you're right. Guess we're heading to the tower," he told Sam and Mike.

"Great," Mike echoed as he took off to the right.

"Fucking coward," Josh muttered. Chris nudged the shorter man's shoulder, though whether it was in agreement or admonishment was a mystery.

"Be careful," Sam told them. "We've already had one close call tonight, we don't need another," she told them.

"We will be," Chris promised. "Just make sure you get that call placed."

"We'll get it done," Matt assured them. "Well, Sam and I will. Who knows what he'll get done," he added, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb to where Mike had disappeared.

"Be careful," Chris stated, echoing Sam's earlier sentiments.

"There should be a map of the mountain at the tower. I don't know how old it is but it should be pretty accurate," Josh instructed his friends. "Once you radio the police, use it to get back to the lodge. Get inside and lock the doors. We'll try and be back as soon as possible."

"This is crazy," Matt whispered. "You swear this isn't one of your pranks, Josh?" he asked.

"You really think I'd put my sisters at risk for a prank, Matt?" The eldest Washington asked. There was a dangerous edge to his voice and the jock knew he was telling the truth.

"Fuck, no." he answered. "I was just hoping…" he shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Come on, Sam. Let's get to the tower." Matt swung his flashlight around, illuminating the track that Mike had left when he took off earlier. Sam hung back for a second longer, giving both Chris and Josh a quick hung before trailing after the jock.

"And then there were two," Josh stated blandly before turning and leading the way further up the mountain.

"Yeah well, let's hope that number doesn't drop to none," Chris retorted as he fell into step with his friend. Now that it was just the two of them the joking facades fell away. "What do you really think we saw?" he asked.

"I don't know," Josh answered truthfully. "I mean, it definitely had to be a person. But I have no idea what was used to create those flames. Or _why_ they would want to. I mean, we've been walking out here for hours and we haven't seen any dead animals, no trees on fire, nothing." Josh furrowed his brow in frustration. "Why? What is this dude up to?" he asked.

"You know better than me, man." Chris told him. He grit his teeth to keep them from chattering as the cold finally finished seeping through his layers of clothing. "Damn," he muttered.

"Hang on," Josh told him, noticing his friend's predicament. "Turn around," he ordered. As Chris followed his instructions, Josh began brushing the snow off his friend's back. "Sorry," he muttered. He felt horrible about pushing his friend into the snow. Chris was uncomfortable when the weather was below seventy degrees. He could only imagine how he felt trekking over a snow covered mountain – never mind that melting snow was now seeping through his clothing and into his shoes.

"It's cool," Chris muttered back. "Should have grabbed my jacket back from Beth."

"Come on," Josh instructed. "Like I said, we can't be that far from the hospital. It probably won't be any warmer inside but at least we won't be walking in snow." The two men walked in silence for a while though something was clearly weighing on the shorter man's mind. Chris bided his time. He knew that pushing his friend wouldn't help. Finally, Josh pulled up short. Chris stopped next to him "Do you think this is an elaborate prank, Cochise?" he asked. Chris glanced at his friend but Josh was looking straight ahead.

"Matt wasn't there with us," Chris answered. "I _saw_ Hannah and Beth hanging off of that cliff, Josh. I helped you pull them up and there were no safety wires, nothing that would have kept them safe if Beth had lost her grip on that root. I know you, Josh. Like _hell_ you'd risk their lives like that." Josh nodded, seemingly mollified that at least one of his friends believed in him. The two started walking again and finally, when Chris was pretty sure his hamstrings were going to snap from overexertion, they reached the abandoned hospital.

"Whoa," Josh exclaimed. The hospital was mostly standing, but it was clear that it had been left to the elements.

"We're going in there?" Chris asked. He'd follow Josh wherever he went but that didn't mean he had to be happy about it.

"Come on, Cochise. Where's your sense of adventure?" Josh asked as he started climbing over the decaying gate.

"It's outweighed by my sense of self-preservation," Chris told him. But he followed Josh nonetheless. "Think it's open?" he asked as they approached the front door.

"Only one way to find out," Josh told him. He stepped forward and jimmied the door handle. "Locked," he announced. Chris let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "Guess we'll have to find another way in." The two men went down the steps and were preparing to search the perimeter of the building when a creaking noise came from behind them. They turned and stared at the now opened door to the hospital.

~Review~


	3. Chapter 3

"I said no, now fuck _off,"_ Beth snarled, tossing a dish towel onto the counter and glaring at the two girls in front of her.

"Beth…" Jessica started warily. Emily stood slightly behind the blonde with her arms crossed defiantly in front of her. The attitude only served to spark Beth's temper even more.

"No. She doesn't want to see you, and why the hell should she? Both of you acted like complete bitches."

"It was a _joke,_ " Emily chimed in.

" _Nobody's fucking laughing, sweetheart!_ " Beth shouted. "I'm sorry if your ego is so damn fragile that it can't handle another girl crushing on your boyfriend. I'm sorry if you're so damn unsure of yourself that you can't handle your boyfriend enjoying the attention of another girl. But you _do._ _N_ _ot_ go and trick that girl while _videotaping it_ and call it a 'joke'."

"Beth," Jessica tried to interject again.

" _NO,"_ Beth cut her off again. "If she's so damn unhappy with herself, she needs to address her own character flaws, not lash out at everyone else. And you can follow that same advice instead of acting like a fucking lackey! Now both of you get out of my face, stay the hell away from my sister, and go pack your fucking bags!" she ordered before swinging around them and exiting the kitchen.

"God, what a bitch," Emily whispered at the retreating figure. Jessica scoffed.

"The only people acting like bitches tonight, Emily, were us," she stated before heading off to her room.

* * *

"How far is it to the tower?" Matt asked as he and Samantha trailed behind Mike.

"Another couple of miles," the petite girl responded. Shivering slightly, she pulled her jacket more tightly around her. "We need to be careful. I'm not sure what state the tower will be in when we get there."

"You guys coming?" Mike shouted back over his shoulder.

"We're here!" Matt shouted back. "You sure you know where we're going?" he asked. Night was quickly settling in and the darkness was wiping out the landscape. Previously the group had been able to ensure they were heading in the right direction by keeping sight of it over the trees. That was no longer an option.

"Yeah!" Mike told him. "You and Sam should see the path shortly. Just need to follow it to the tower." He paused to let his companions catch up. "I hope the girls are doing okay."

"They're safe in the lodge behind locked doors," Matt told him. "The only threat to them is each other," he added. It was meant to be a joke, but it fell a bit flat.

"Beth will keep everyone safe through sheer willpower," Sam added, following Matt's train of thought and trying to alleviate the situation. "God help anyone who tries to get through her."

"Including Emily and Jessica," Mike added. He sighed. "We were stupid," he confessed.

"Yep," Sam agreed, peering at their surroundings with her flashlight.

"Well don't go out of your way to make us feel better," Mike told her.

"That's what your girlfriend's for. You want coddling, go back to the lodge. I'm sure she'll give you plenty while demanding you do the same to her. I, however, am here to tell you that you were indeed stupid. And now you're learning that stupidity has consequences. So, you can keep whining about it or man up and learn your lesson," Sam shot back. "Whichever one you do, decide quickly. It's freezing out here."

"You suck at heart-to-heart talks," Mike groused, but he shot the blonde a smile and began leading the trio towards the tower again.

* * *

"Dude," Chris gasped.

"Dude," Josh mimicked. "It must not have been latched very well," he stated as he climbed back up the steps.

"Yeah…sure." Chris agreed dubiously. He eyed the 'condemned' sign located to the left of the door but quickly trailed after his friend. The two men stepped cautiously into the condemned building, taking a moment to let their eyes adjust to the darkness surrounding them. "Man, I think I need to stop hanging out with you. We always seem to wind up in some type of freaky situation," he joked.

"Bro, are you saying this _isn't_ your idea of a good time?" Josh asked as he swung his flashlight in an arc. The thin stream of light barely cut through the darkness. Chris snorted but didn't respond. "Damn, this place must have been something back in its heyday."

"Never knew you were an admirer of architecture," Chris confessed. The interior of the hospital's entryway was made primarily out of stone. The majority of the place had held up well through the years, but it had obviously been condemned for a reason. The stone was crumbling in places, and Chris could make out a dark shadow further down the hallway which he suspected was a large hole in the floor.

"I admire a lot of things, Cochise," came Josh's response, and the older man threw his friend a lazy wink and grin. Chris shook his head in amusement. Josh never changed – they were in a potentially life threatening situation and yet the dark-haired man was _still_ flirting with him.

"Save it for later, Romeo. Abandoned, creepy ass hospitals might scream romance to _you_ , but it's gonna be a _no_ from me," the taller man joked, giving Josh's shoulder a nudge. Josh chuckled, but dropped the subject, easing his way down the long hall. Chris felt an uncomfortable clenching in his stomach – one he always got whenever Josh flirted with him. It wasn't that he didn't _like_ when Josh flirted with him. No, the uncomfortable clenching came because Chris knew there was no way the older man was _serious_ about it. Josh flirted with anyone and everyone – that's just the type of person he was. Chris couldn't blame his friend for being who he was. But he could only imagine the strain it would put on their friendship if Chris decided to flirt back one day only to find out Josh really didn't mean anything by it. It would lead to an uncomfortable discussion and awkward interactions and then Chris would have to fake his death and move away to some random country where no one could find him and-

"Chris, look!" Josh hissed, yanking the taller man against a heavy wooden door. There was a small opening and as Chris peered through, his heart suddenly lept into his throat as he realized they were not alone. It was hard to make out through the dim light, but there was a man walking across the floor. He paused, tossing what appeared to be a bone – _please, don't be human,_ Chris thought – to what appeared to be two wolves. "We need to get in there," Josh whispered as he tried the door. It didn't budge.

"No go, bro," Chris informed him, tapping the green sign hanging above the knob. "We're gonna need a security pass to unlock this." Josh sighed in frustration, running a hand through his hair.

"There's gotta be one around here somewhere, right?" he asked. "Come on, Cochise." The shorter man led the way back through the hospital entryway. All of the doors were blocked off by fallen rubble, but by the weak beam of the flashlight, the men could make out the doorway back to the administration offices. "Okay, so we know we can go that way," Josh stated as he paused. "Let's check by the front door first. Maybe we'll get lucky."

The two men split up by the front door, Josh turning right as Chris went left. The taller man turned on his own flashlight, peering through the falling dust mites to see if there was anything useful. An old table stood next to a wall, and Chris approached it, running the light across its top. No keycard, but a stray bit of paper caught his eye. He scanned the memorandum quickly.

"Anything?"

"Jesus Christ!" Chris jumped before placing a hand over the general vicinity of his heart. "You scared the shit outta me, man!" Josh jammed a fist into his mouth, no doubt fighting back a hysterical laugh.

"Sorry." Josh finally breathed out. "What had you so rivited?" Chris handed over the sheet of paper he had been reading.

"A memorandum to staff about a miner rescue. Guess they got trapped and were brought here. Seems the staff wasn't overly happy about the attention, though. They didn't want the press wandering around," he stated. Josh frowned down at the paper in his hands.

"Yeah well, psychiatric hospitals weren't exactly the nicest place to be back then." His frown deepened. "They're not all that much nicer today. At least they don't tie you to the beds anymore," he added, tossing the paper back onto the table with a shrug. Chris wasn't sure quite how to respond to that. Words had never been his strong suit, so he just clasped his friend's shoulder and tactfully changed the subject.

"Guess we better check the administration wing." Chris led the way through the door, where both men paused. "Geez, where do we even start?" he asked. The doorway led to an open room, which was divided up into smaller offices. "Divide and conquer?" he suggested.

"Not this time," Josh answered. "It'd be too easy to get lost in here. Let's start in the office over there," he pointed his flashlight to the far left, "and work our way down."

"Hey look, a safe," Chris stated. "That's promising! Looks like someone else thought so, too," he added as he picked up what appeared to be a broken shovel handle. "Should we try it?" he asked. Josh took the piece of wood from the taller man and slotted it into the safe's door.

"Help me out, man," Josh ordered as he leaned against the wood. Chris added his weight and barely managed to catch himself from falling as the safe popped open. "I can't believe that worked," Washington chuckled as he knelt down to peer inside. "Huh, guess the miners made it here after all," he told Chris as he peered at old clocking-in cards. He ran his flashlight over what was left in the safe but didn't find an access card. "Nothing. I wonder what our mysterious predecessor was looking for in here," he muttered as he stood up and dusted off his pants.

"I don't know, but this place is starting to give me the creeps," Chris confessed as he rubbed at his arms. "It's like we're in one of your dad's horror movies."

"At least it'd be an awesome horror movie," Josh told him with a grin. They moved out into the open area and began poking around. They skirted around the outside of the room, where most of the remaining furniture was shoved along the outer walls, but could find no sign of the elusive key card. "Looks like one of the journalists wasn't happy with the hospital's press restriction," the shorter man said as he picked up a broken camera. "Looks like someone was snapping photos of the files," he added as he set the item back on top of the file cabinet.

"Oh, shit, do you think they were doing experiments or something here?" Chris asked, his voice soft. "Maybe that man we saw was related to an old patient or one of the workers. Dude, we really should head back to the Lodge."

"You want to head back _now?_ " Josh asked as he gaped at his friend. "We have a mystery to solve and you want to back out? Come on, man," he continued, giving the taller man a rough shake. "We have no idea who that guy is or what he's doing here. That doesn't necessarily make him a bad guy. If anything, maybe he knows something about the fire we saw earlier."

"Okay, okay," Chris hissed out. He shoved a hand through his hair, hating how easily Josh could change his mind. "But seriously, any sign that this guy is a danger, and I'm gone."

"And I'll be right behind you," Josh assured his friend. "Come on, let's keep looking."

The two searched the rest of the room in silence until they reached another door. The hallway branched in two directions, one continuing on in front of them and the other leading off to the left. Chris peered at the directory painted on the wall.

"Oh _hell...no_. I am _not_ going to the morgue, Josh. Not happening. No way."

"Last resort, then," Josh agreed easily as he entered a room down the hall to the right. It looked to be another office judging by the furniture that was left behind. The dark-haired man paused in front of the desk, guiding the flashlight beam across its surface as he continued his quest. Chris joined him, snagging an old newspaper in order to check under it. He didn't see a card and he transferred his attention to the newspaper in his hand.

"Man, they _really_ didn't want reporters up here. Says one of them was assaulted when found on Blackwood grounds."

"Does it say why?" Josh asked, turning to face his friend.

"The guy was apparently trying to interview the miners. It says here the miners were trapped for three weeks after a structural collapse. The survivors were brought to Blackwood Sanatorium. They believe the assault took place after a disagreement stemming from the reporter's camera. Guess that was the camera we found earlier," Chris added, glancing over at his friend. Josh stood quietly, his brow furrowed in thought and a small frown tugging at his lips.

"I don't like this, Cochise. Something must have happened with the miners, and the staff obviously didn't want anyone to find out about it. They were trapped for _three weeks?_ How the hell did _any_ of them survive for that length of time?" Josh continued, mostly talking to himself. He shook his head as if to clear it before motioning for Chris to join him as he exited the room. Chris stifled a groan as he followed his friend towards the morgue.

To his relief, they slipped into a small room before the morgue. It looked like a small medical office, with plenty of cabinet space. Chris and Josh divided the room and began checking in the drawers and cabinets. This time, it was Josh who found something.

"Listen to this, man. Twelve miners were rescued. The staff expected them to be emaciated but upon admission they were relatively healthy...apparently there was emergency food supplies. The shock of reintegration was tough for some of them, so they put them in Wing A and were scheduling psychological evaluations and kept them under a twenty-four hour watch."

"Emergency food supplies?" Chris asked incredulously. "In a _mine?_ Maybe it wasn't just the hospital staff who were hiding things," he suggested. Josh hummed in agreement. "Wait, what's written on the back of that?" he asked. Josh turned the paper around.

"Whoa, shit! One of the staff wrote that a miner tried to bite them! Cochise, do you think...?" Josh trailed off, a questioning look on his face as he gazed at his friend. Realization sank in and the taller man suppressed a shudder. Chris swallowed thickly before answering.

"Well..." he said slowly. "It would explain how they survived for three weeks. And why the staff didn't want reporters asking them any questions." Josh sighed, dropping the paper back onto the counter.

"I'm not even sure what to say to that," he confessed. "Sorry, man, but it looks like we're going to have to check the morgue." Chris groaned but trailed after the eldest Washington, carefully working his way down the steps.

"I hope the others are having better luck than we are," he stated. He stumbled as Josh jumped backwards, knocking into him, the cawing of a crow taking both men offguard. "Shit!" Chris half-gasped, half-laughed, holding his friend's weight until Josh was able to find his feet.

"Sorry, wasn't expecting that," Josh confessed, laughing himself.

"No one ever suspects the crow!" Chris answered, laughing even harder as Josh finished pulling open the doors to the morgue.

"Whoa, check it out!" Josh exclaimed, yanking an old machete out of a worn, wooden table. "This could come in handy," he stated, testing the weight of the blade in his hand.

"Easy there, Rambo," Chris admonished. "I'd like to return you to your sisters in one piece." Josh shot an unimpressed look at his friend before sliding the machete through the hammer loop in his jeans. Chris just shrugged at the shorter man before leading the way into the hallway. They started in a room to the right. Josh pulled a face as he caught sight of the restraining chair, but otherwise there was nothing to help them get into the Chapel. They returned to the hallway, working their way deeper into the building, taking care not to distrub any of the piles of debris. They were in the back rooms when they heard the growling. "Shit," Chris whispered, turning and locking eyes with his friend.

"One of the dogs," Josh responded softly. "Try and keep it down," he instructed as they continued to search the office. Their search was fruitless – more instructions to keep the press away as more evidence of trauma became evident in the miners. Finally, the two men found themselves in the morgue itself.

"This place just gets better and better," Chris muttered as they spread out to search. Like the rest of the hospital, much of the morgue had been emptied out. What wasn't salvaged had been abandoned, giving the depressing locale an even more grim feeling. The two men carefully picked their way through the room until Chris brought his flashlight up to investigate some shelves and promptly let out a shriek. "What the _fuck_ is _that?!"_ he gasped, tripping away from the shelve. He let out a grunt as his ass hit the floor, but he kept scrambling away from the shelving unit. Josh placed a steadying hand on his friend's shoulder before going to investigate.

"Looks like they kept specimens from dissections," he stated. "I've never seen anything like this before, though," Josh added as he peered at a head in a glass jar. It looked about the size of a human's head, but the features were gaunt, the skin sunken and sallow. The eyes were wide and round, the irises cloudy, as if the person (creature?) had cataracts. The nose was human-like, but the teeth were sharp and jagged. Clearly, this thing tore into its prey, taking chunks of flesh in a single bite. "The fuck is this thing?" he asked softly.

"Josh..." Chris whispered. The man turned around, glancing at where his friend remained huddled on the ground. The taller man's nerves were at their breaking point and it was clear that the bespectacled man was close to losing it.

"Stay here, Cochise. Give me five minutes and I'll be back," Josh assured his friend. Chris gave him a jerky nod, and the shorter man took off quickly, poking around the morgue. Trying to be quick without making too much noise was _not_ an easy task but Josh trusted Chris to give him a heads up if anything was heading their way. After clearing the rest of the room, Josh made his way to the freezers. With a grimace, he began opening the doors and shining his light inside. It took ages – and much longer than the promised five minutes – but Josh finally managed to locate the key card to the Chapel. He shuddered as he put the rotting corpse back into the freezer, and he was rather glad that Chris hadn't witnessed the rat escaping from the corpse's mouth. It had been enough to make Josh shudder. The taller man would have completely lost it. With a final grimace, he rejoined his friend towards the front of the morgue. "You okay?" he asked, stopping to give the sandy-haired man a thorough look.

"I'm fine," Chris muttered, clearly embarrassed about his not-quite breakdown in the morgue. "Find anything?" Josh grinned and held up the key card triumphantly.

"We're in, bro." Josh used the key card to lead them up a back set of stairs. They wound up on the second floor, overlooking the chapel. "Looks like we're going to have to jump down," Josh pointed out, motioning to where the rest of the stairs had collapsed.

"Joy," Chris muttered, carefully easing his way down to the edge of the steps. He really didn't want to have the floor crumble out from underneath him. He jumped down, overbalancing and catching himself with his hands. He straightened up and dusted his hands off as Josh landed next to him.

"Smooth." Josh commented with a smirk, and Chris rolled his eyes as Josh led them back to the Chapel door.

"Don't be jealous just because I got moves and you don't," Chris told him.

"Whatever, bro," came the amused response as Josh unlocked the door. He paused as the door unlatched, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Chris was still okay to follow him. The taller man nodded, and Josh swung the door open.

Immediately, the were greeted by one of the dogs. It barked, running as if it were going to lunge at them. Josh brought his arms up, shielding his face as Chris wrapped his arms around his friend's waist, dragging him back and away from the canine. The dog padded away a small distance, though it kept an eye on the two men. Josh and Chris gave the canine a wide berth and once it realized that they were not going to hurt him, the dog relaxed, and laid down on the floor.

"Oh, shit. Oh, fuck," Chris gasped, his arms still around Josh's waist as he dragged the smaller man away from their would-be attacker. "Dude, if we make it out of here alive I am going to _kill_ you," he assured his friend.

"We're good. You're good. I'm good. It's all good," Josh reassured his friend.

"Your definition of 'good' is _startlingly_ different from the generally accepted version in the dictionary," Chris snapped as he yanked his arms back. Josh took a moment to mourn the loss of contact but his attention was soon directed elsewhere.

"Hey, check it out." He pointed to a small alcove in the chapel. A corkboard had been hung on the wall and one of the tables had been moved to stand in front of it. A map of the area, along with pictures and random newspaper clippings were up on the board. "This is all related to unsolved deaths and supernatural sightings," he told Chris. The younger man was hanging in the doorway, keeping an eye on both their canine friend and the door that the unknown gentleman had passed through.

"Freaky," Chris called back. "So, maybe this guy is just some Bigfoot hunter."

"Maybe," Josh muttered, more to himself than to Chris. Whatever was going on, shit was definitely weird. He rejoined Chris, nudging him to get his attention, and both men continued their search of the delapidated building. "There's the exit," he said, pointing to the blue and white sign.

"Thank god," Chris muttered, striding over to the door as Josh trailed after him with a more sedate pace. "Oh, come _on_ ," he whined. "It's locked," he told Josh, even as he tugged futiley on the padlock.

"Maybe there's a key," Josh suggested. "Let's look around."

"We've _been_ looking around, Josh," Chris pointed out. "That's pretty much all we've been doing since we got here."

"Point," Josh agreed, as he cracked open an old trunk. "I _really_ hope these aren't human," he stated as he took in a pile of bones. Chris snorted.

"I thought the exact same thing when I saw our mysterious friend toss some to his pets," Chris confessed, even as he reached past Josh and picked up a bone. He grimaced as the oil of the meat slicked his hand, but he held on to it. He crossed back over to the Chapel entrance, tossing the bone to the dog before he backed away. As Josh joined him, Chris tried the grated door to the left of the Chapel entrance. The door didn't budge, but the dog remained where it lay, content to chew on the bone rather than the men.

"Smart idea," Josh praised, nodding toward the dog. "Too bad about the door."

"Worth a shot," Chris sighed.

"Hey, put this on," Josh ordered, snagging a thick green jacket from a peg. Chris gratefully accepted the garment, sliding his arms through and giving a soft sigh as his body regained some of the warmth it had lost.

"Thanks," he grinned, but Josh didn't notice it. He was peering through a hole in the grating. "What's up?" Chris asked as he moved next to his friend.

"Think I found our way out of here," Josh informed him before he reached an arm through the grating. Whatever he was trying to get was out of reach, and eventually he just knocked away one of the makeshift table legs. The wood clattered to the ground and a small revolver slid into Josh's waiting hand. "Got it!" he crowed triumphantly, turning and giving a wide grin to his friend.

"Nice one," Chris commented, giving his friend a thumbs up before accepting the gun and placing it in his jacket pocket. "Let's get out of here." They made their way back to the exit and Chris shot the padlock off the door. Josh stuck his head through the doorway, ensuring the coast was clear and that the noise had not garnered any unwanted attention. With a glance over his shoulder, the shorter man motioned for his friend to follow him as he slipped into the hall.

Josh kept his eyes and ears peeled as he led them through the hallway. While this excursion had at first been undertaken out of curiosity, the reality of the situation was sinking in. His heart thudded loudly in his ears and Josh's main concern was getting Chris out of the hospital and back to the lodge. He crept down the stairwell, making sure to stay on the carpeted area. He didn't want their boots to alert anyone to their presence. At the bottom of the stairs it was clear that they had reached a basement area and Josh frowned as he glanced to the left and right. Noticing a large red pipe, he followed it to the right. Down the hallway on the left he spotted another door.

"Dammit," he muttered. "Locked. Think you can shoot the padlock off again?" he asked. Chris shrugged.

"I don't see why not? Let's get this barrel out of the way." Chris shoved against the rusty barrel, Josh assisting so that they could move it more quickly. Between the two of them, the barrel slid across the floor relatively easily and Chris took aim at the padlock. The gunshot reverberated through the halls as the metal clanged against the floor.

"Great, let's get out of here," Josh stated.

"That may be the best thing I've heard tonight," Chris joked as he followed his friend. The smile fell and a more somber look passed over his face. "I hope Sammy is doing okay with Matt and Mike," he added, worry tinging his voice.

"It's Sammy. I'm sure she's got Matt and Mike following in line like a bunch of soldiers," Josh told him with a small smile. But in reality, Josh was just as worried for their friends. He and Chris had run into enough trouble and they were _inside._ He couldn't even imagine what trouble the trio would run into outdoors. Josh took a deep breath and said a silent plea for their friends.

End


End file.
